Feature: Last orders at the bar

ONCE they were the heart and soul of communities across Hastings and St Leonards.

Music and laughter could be heard pouring out of pubs the length and breadth of the town.

Just 30 years ago there were more than 100 pubs across the area, many within touching distance in the same street.

Since then a generation of pubs has been wiped out along with a culture where the landlord was regarded as one of the pillars of the community.

Up and down the country, For Sale signs are being erected outside derelict former pub buildings quicker than they can be made.

In Hastings and St Leonards the figures are staggering. Almost 30 pubs have closed down in the last 20 years leaving gaping holes in the make up of our high streets.

Industry experts point to the changing pattern of drinking culture in the UK, the plethora of cheap booze that floods our supermarkets chains, the tough trading conditions and difficult rules and regulations.

Hastings borough councillor John Hodges, who is a member of the Brewery History Society of England, believes the pub chain management culture is one of the major factors in the downturn in trade.

“The landlords of our old pubs used to be a revered character,” said Cllr Hodges. “People used to go into pubs to catch up with the landlord and have a good chinwag.

“Landlords were the fount of all local knowledge. They knew who was who, what was what. They treated their pub salon as their own front living room. There was an air of respectability.

“The traditional pub was that last bastion of the community run by people who really cared about what they did. It was an era of affordable entertainment with traditional pub games and cheap pub grub.

“With the advent of pub chains and management, traditional landlords have moved on and so has that golden culture.

“Now you get a pub manager who comes in for a few weeks or months and has no real interest in the community or its people. So that generates disinterest immediately.

“We all know the advent of hypermarkets selling four cans of beer for a few quid has also made a major impact on our high street pubs.

“But I believe there should still be a social conscience when it comes to the pub.

“It still has the power to play a vital role in the community and maintain a sense of belonging.”

Social historian David Russell has just written a book entitled The Pubs of Hastings and St Leonards 1800 to 2000.

He believes the situation has never been so bad for landlords.

“The last few years have seen a complete meltdown,” said David. “The pub landlord has been battered from all sides, taxation, brewery/pub management and customer.

“The pub culture is unique to this country and is part of our identity. When a pub closes, it’s not just a pile of bricks that’s disappearing. It’s another part of our national heritage and culture that we are losing and that can never be replaced.”